Interior design

This past weekend, I decided to put some decor in my Avic’s enclo. I figured she would like to have something other than the sides of the enclo to hang on to. Here are some pics

Rip-off

Today, after having lunch, my family went to the nearby mall. I needed crix for my babies (the vagans). So I went to the pet store. I saw that they had 2 pinktoes on sale. They were a bit small. So I asked the person at the counter how much they were. He said that each was $40. My suspicion was right, $40 was their standard price for inverts they sold, no matter the species. This store was where I bought my first rosea about a year ago for $40. Oh yeah, this was where I bought the emp scorpion a few years ago too, also $40. My avic (which was a bit bigger than these 2)  too I got here, guess what? For $40 bucks too. They also have 2 emps on sale for $40 each(what a surprise). I hope they sell some rare, expensive species of tarantula that they would sell for $40 too. I know that is highly unlikely, but one can hope…

Pinheads

I exclusively feed my tarantulas crickets. A week or so ago, I noticed this cricket with its ‘butt’ inserted in the soil of my avic’s enclosure. I figured that it was laying eggs. Today, when I looked into the enclo, I saw 3 or so tiny things floating in the water of the water dish. After examining the dish closely, I determined that they were pinhead crickets. It was such a hassle trying to get as much pinheads out of the soil. After painstakingly removing much pinheads, I figured that it would be easier if I just place the soil somewhere else and change the soil completely.  So I had to change the soil in my avic’s enclo.

Unfortunate

Recently I rehoused my B. vagans to jars so they can burrow. Today, when I looked at the bigger one’s jar, I noticed a dislodged leg in the burrow. When it came out I saw that it had indeed lost a leg, the second leg on the right side. It’s unfortunate, but I guess it’s unavailable and comes with owning tarantulas.

New Acquisitions

I have 3 new acquisitions. Last week, I bought a G. rosea at the nearby pet shop. I bought it because I wanted another T. The one being sold at the pet shop at the mall, also a rosea, sold for $40, it was around 6 in DLS. Even though it’s large, I had the feeling that it isn’t worth the price. The one I got I bought it for $15. It’s a bit smaller than the one at the mall, but it was worth it.

The other week, I searched for people selling tarantulas. I was able to find this one who was selling various T’s. The ones that attracted me was the B. vagan slings. He sold 1 for $7 and 2 for $12. I told him I wanted to purchase 2. Yesterday, we finally agreed to meet. I had to travel all the way to NY but the trip to and from was so worth it. So we met. I asked him why he was getting rid of his tarantulas. He told me that he wasn’t, but he informed me that he’s a breeder. We got to discuss tarantulas for a while, and exchanged tips and other matters. We agreed that the hobby is addictive. He told me that if I have any questions or needs, I should contact him. I’m glad that I finally found someone who’s also in the hobby relatively nearby.

Close up Pics of my T

 

Earlier, I decided to pack the dirt in the enclosure of my pet tarantula. So I had to transfer her to a different container. Before returning her to her enclo, I decided to handle her for a while, and maybe get some pictures of it on my hand. She jumped from my hand to the floor. Fortunately the room I was in was carpeted, so she was safe. I tried to catch her on the floor. She crawled for a while on the floor. I saw that she was on the floor, being still. I thought that this was a good opportunity to get pictures of her, since I never had any success of having her stay still while she’s on my hand or arm. So I took some pictures of her. I think they came out pretty nice.

Molts

When I was in the Philippines, my cousin and I had the habit of logging the dates of when our tarantulas molt. My current T(Avic avic) so far has only had one molt, but I just got her (on June 16th). When I got her she was 3.5 inches.

July 22—4 in DLS

My Adventures in Arachnids

A few years ago, on an impulse, I bought an emperor scorpion (Pandinus emperator) at the pet shop. Since I had no experience, it didn’t last long with me.

A year ago I bought a Chilean rose tarantula (Grammostola rosea). I had experience with the scorpion, so I had a brief idea on how to take care of invertebrates. I was able to take care of it much better than the scorpion. Unfortunately, I made a big mistake, which resulted in her death.

I went to the Philippines in the summer of ’09. Unexpectedly, I stayed there for a long time, coming back home this past June. So when I returned, my rosea was dead. I should have asked somebody to look after her, if I had, I would have 2 tarantulas right now. But while in the Philippines, my fascination(and addiction) with tarantulas started.

I and my cousin have always been animal lovers. One day we went to the place nearby where there are many pet shops. They sell the usual pets, cats, dogs, fish, birds. But they also sell exotic animals such as snakes and invertebrates. My cousin bought a tarantula, a Chilean rose I think. Soon after, we searched the web for sources where we could buy more. We found this site. And as they say, the rest is history. At one point we had close to 40 tarantulas. But that number fluctuated constantly because we bought and sold them.

When I came back Stateside, I found my rose in a death curl position. I expected her to be dead, of course but I was still bummed. So I decided to go to the mall to check if they had any tarantulas or scorpions for sale. I was happy to find that they were selling a Pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia) because I had expected to find a rosea there again. I got it right away. I’m glad that I have easy access to crickets at the mall, 10 for a dollar.

My Avic had been a voracious eater. Until the time she wasn’t eating anymore. Having much experience having tarantulas, I knew that she was about to molt. She looked awesome after she molted. Now, after I think 2-3 weeks after her molt, she’s been eating a lot again.

I can’t wait to get another one.